The majority of acute or chronic pain results from an inflammatory reaction. The recommended treatments for reducing pain frequently consist of initially reducing the inflammatory reaction.
At the present time there are two main classes of anti-inflammatory medicines:                the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDs); and        the corticosteroids.        
The NSAIDs and the corticosteroids have the drawback of combining an unpleasant side effect with their beneficial therapeutic effect (reduction of inflammation and pain).
In fact, the NSAIDs provoke the formation of ulcers while the corticosteroids have an immunosuppressive action.
The ideal analgesic anti-inflammatory medicine would be a medicine not having side effects nor an effect on physiology nor on the immune system.
In addition, there is a second type of pain that is not caused by inflammation. This neurogenic pain is, furthermore, characterized by its being refractory to traditional treatment, including opiates. Different treatment have been implemented such as the use of anti-inflammatories, anti-epileptics, anti-depressants, sympatholytic drugs or combinations of these.
However, neurogenic pain is very protean and consequently is very difficult to treat.
Because of these considerations, the medicines available today for treating pain are limited in number and are sometimes ineffective. This ineffectiveness can also be the result of an acquired tolerance to the product. So, the practitioner is obliged to modify his prescription. In order for this to be efficacious, there has to be another class of medicines available to him.
This explains the importance of the research in this field.